For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out [by] a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth [by] an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.
Ver. 3. The city that went out by a thousand] i.e. That had a thousand inhabitants passing to and fro through the gates, see Genesis 34:24 ; Genesis 23:10 , for men love not to be cooped up, or confined to a place, as the Duke of Venice is, but to be travelling and trading or that can send out a thousand fit to bear arms.
Shall leave an hundred] Here is a woeful decimation, purporting a very great paucity of people; such as was threatened, Deuteronomy 28:62, a tenth man only shall be left, if that. Behold the severity of God, and betray not the lives of others by an impenitent continuance in sin. Turn to God, if but for your poor brethren's sake, that are in danger, or in durance. Hezekiah's reason to repent is very remarkable, 2 Chronicles 30:9 : "For if ye turn again to the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn his face from you, if ye return unto him."
Shall leave ten] Not take ten in a hundred and leave the rest, as the Roman generals used to do in the army, in case of a mutiny. This was fulfilled in that three years' siege of Samaria, 2 Kings 18:10, as afterwards the like occured at Jerusalem, which could hardly be repeopled in Nehemiah's time, and at this day is but thinly inhabited; there being not a hundred households of Jews to be found there. In our countries, of the abundance of people cometh dearth, which maketh many malcontents to mutter; but in many parts of Turkey, for want of men to till the ground; most of the poor being enforced with victuals and other necessaries to follow their great armies, in their long expeditions; of whom scarce one of ten (saith mine author) ever return home again, there by the way perishing, if not by the enemies' sword, yet by the wants, intemperateness of the air, or immoderate painstaking.